Reflections of a Trauma Nurse/Counsellor’s Academic, Research & Clinical Experiences Crisis Counselling Intervention Strategies

Crisis states, grief work and bereavement are phenomenal experiences and a short period of decompression for the bereaved to feel safe, secure and regroup is critical.  Then, the bereaved can move into acceptance, sharing their pain inherent in loss, dealing with their memories of the lost person, status or object(s).  Open expression of pain, sorrow, hostility, and grief means being free to feel and mourn one’s loss(s) openly, usually by weeping, and to express one’s feelings.  To understand the intense feelings associated with loss means facing the fear of going crazy and a normal part of the grieving process

When feelings of sorrow, fear, guilt, and hostility are worked through in the presence of a caring person, these feelings gradually subside and the rituals to express grief aids in this process.  Resuming normal activities and social relationships without the lost person, status or object(s) at one’s side is another important step.  Working through the memories and feelings associated with loss helps the bereaved obtain new patterns of social interaction apart from the person, status, and object(s) that are gone.

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A pivotal aspect of successful crisis resolution is grief work and bereavement in response to any acute loss.  Our rational, social nature implies attachment to other human beings, a view of ourselves in relationship to the rest of the world; our family, friends, pets and home.  Death and the changes following any loss are as inevitable as the ocean tide, but because loss is so painful emotionally, our natural tendency is to avoid coming to terms with acute loss immediately and directly.

Grief work takes time and is not a set of symptoms to be treated, rather the phenomena of grief involves a process of suffering that a bereaved person goes through on the way to a new life without the lost person, status or object of love, pining and searching, anger and depression, and finally turning toward recovery. Continue reading →

Autumn is a beautiful time of year. The leaves change into majestic colors. The temperature cools down. The routine of school and work resumes. However, this transitional season reminds us that winter is close behind.

While some people look forward to the winter sports, playing in the snow and the crisp cold air, the anticipation of this change brings dread to many. For some people, winter represents gray, dreary weather and long days inside.

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A friend has been job hunting for the last five years since he was laid off as an IT engineer. This friend frequently prayed and contemplated on when the job search will end. He is not the only one in this economic recession, according to CBC news, the unemployment rate increased to 7.4% in September. Thousands and millions of people have been affected by this recession. So when is the end? Or rather, is there an end? And how do we make sense and prepare for this uncomfortable journey?

This phenomenon reminds me of the journey of Exodus. It was a journey of liberation; however God did not directly lead Israel into the Promised Land but into the wilderness and it took Israel 40 years to wonder around. Every day the hardships of landscape, with no food or water, and encounters with new enemies threatened their faith in God.

Have you ever wondered, why does it take forty years and why not four years, or fourteen years? What is the necessity for Israel taking so long to reach the Promised Land? We may find the answer in the Bible, it says: the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years (Exodus 12:40).

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We live in a modern world full of responsibilities and tasks we must accomplish. A person is often looked upon as lazy if he or she is not constantly busy or accomplishing goals. Stillness is not highly valued in our culture even though there is increased discussion about the beneficial qualities of being quiet.

The irony of the situation is that we are usually overwhelmed with the technological advances that were meant to improve the quality of our lives. Computers, mobile phones, tablets and social media, etc. have eroded our idle time. We are busy all day, often at the expense of neglecting our relationships, our health and our dreams.

At the end of the day, we are usually exhausted because we have engaged in constant menial tasks. As a result, we often forgo exercise, cooking a healthy meal, eating as a family or engaging in a meaningful conversation with loved ones. We convince ourselves, however, that we are connected with others through the use of email, Twitter, Facebook and other social media avenues. While these are definitely wonderful ways to connect with others, it does not make up for intimate connections such as going out with a friend or engaging in genuine dialogue with another.

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Reflections of a Trauma Nurse/Counsellor’s Academic, Research & Clinical Experiences

Neo-Ericksonian Approaches to Persuasive Healing [3]

The use of Eriksonian hypnotic techniques helps to locate sources of psychological and physical pain to facilitate the natural healing powers of the individual.  A wholistic application of hypnosis incorporates wellness, higher consciousness and optimum performance.  Trance can be used effectively to promote joy and harmony as well as quiet disharmony. 

The promotion of wellbeing is a more efficient and beneficial focus of attention than a constant concern with diagnosis and cure.  Specific, identifiable thoughts, actions and experiences create wellbeing and peak performance.  Internal and external events are available to everyone, but not everyone pays attention to them or takes advantage of them.  Clinical application of hypnotic trance is an effective way to direct attention toward these events.  

Goals of Healing Trance:

1. To capture attention
2. To focus and nourish wellbeing
3. To promote contentment
4. To support optimal wellbeing
5. To precipitate peak experiences
6. To expand self-awareness, self-expression and self-mastery

Healing Trance Employs:

1. Metaphors: is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or ideas is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. (i.e., drowning in money).
2. Stories:
3. Direct or Indirect Suggestions Found in: 

• found in poetic allusions (hinting)rhymes
• puns – humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound
• mythic symbols
• entrancing rhythms

      4.     Advantages of Healing Trance:

1. Flexible and adaptive
2. Conforms to the needs and interests of most people
3. A direct route to wellness as a way to pay attention to relevant landmarks to provide a pleasant trip.

Elastic waves of the earth and waves of a human life energy field are phenomena innate within and requires the use of mathematical equations, sensory-perceptual ability or words to discuss these matters that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye equipped with two dimensional vision.  The nature/nurture controversy remains.  I believe it is important for all helping professionals to comprehend the gist of complexity inherent in human nature.

To serve the purposes of this article, I will reduce my thesis into a paragraph: a succinct statement to introduce my hypothesis concerning the nature of a person: 

A person is a 3 dimensional being of mind, body and spirit with both open and closed systems contained within a heavy vessel, named and known as the self, affected and influenced by many factors/forces surrounding and operating within the spirit of the  being (etheric body, light vessel/body, breath/life essence) that is known before we are born and contained within the  physical body (heavy vessel/form); embodied or  disembodied (out-of-body) or in a mind-altered state,  but never-the-less grounded by electromagnetic fields within and on planet earth which orbits within a vast universe Star Treckee’s call the ‘final frontier’ and simply awaits departure upon final breath…[4]. 

Phenomena:  is extraordinary or remarkable material known through the senses rather than thought or intuition. Phenomenology is the study of human consciousness and self-awareness as a preface to or a part of philosophy containing descriptors of the formal structure of the objects of awareness, and of awareness itself, in abstraction from any claims concerning existence (the internal time consciousness).  Phenomena can be about the rare, significant, unusual, or an abnormal person, thing or occurrence of scientific interest susceptible of scientific explanation description and explanation [2].  Grief is one example of a phenomenal experience!

Wave:  undulation coined in 1646 describes vibrations – the rising and falling of waves, a wavelike motion to and fro in a fluid or elastic medium propagated continuously among its particles, but with little or no permanent translation of the particles in the direction of the propagation.  In 1802, undulatory theory was coined and is a theory in physics: light is transmitted from luminous bodies to the eye and other objects by an undulatory movement called wave theory.  The vibration is the pulsation caused by the vibrating together of two tones not quite in unison.  A wavy appearance, outline or form [2].

Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is encased and baths the ominous central nervous system (CNS) which is a closed system and has a vibrational rhythm deeply connected to breath.

Cranial-sacral treatments is an kinesthetic, healing art form and trained body workers can feel and work with the rhythm referred to as the cranio-sacral pulse, typically at 6-8 beats per minute and facilitate healing. 

My research dream is to convert pre/post-treatment trauma assessment scores to visually be able to see an artistic representation of a person’s trauma/healing vortices and gaze upon timeless waveforms [4]. 

Author:  Dr. Linda AK Thompson, BGS, MA, CCC, PsyD, FAAETS
Owner, Matrix of Trauma (© MOT ™):  Research, Advocacy, Healing

References:

1. Gerber, Richard. (2001). Vibrational Medicine: The #1 Handbook of Subtle-Energy Therapies.  Third Edition.  Bear & Co: ISBN: 1-879181-58-4 
2. Merriam-Webster, Inc. (1985).  Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. Thomas Allen & Son Ltd, Markham, ON: ISBN 1-919028-66-7
3. Neo-Ericksonian Approaches to Healing Trance: Author & Date Unknown.  Published in The Script.  International Association of Counselling Hypnotherapists (IACH): www.hypnotherapyassociation.org
4. Thompson, Linda A.K. (1996).  The Matrix of Trauma:  A dissertation – partial fulfilment for requirements for degree of doctor of psychological traumatology in psychological assessments and etymology.  © Unpublished/Sealed.  Summit University of Louisiana, New Orleans:  Louisiana.